symbolism

Agnes Boulloche lives in a fantasy world (partially located in Ile de Re) where phantasmagorical creatures tell tales about humanity. Her colorful oil paintings full of elaborate allegorical details recall the Old Masters, while her art comes out as a unique mix of Modern Renaissance, contemporary Surrealism and Symbolism.

For Duy Huynh (pronounced Yee Wun) drawing was his way of settling in a strange world as a youngster immigrant. Years passed and the Vietnamese-born artist kept his childhood passion as a means of living after graduating from UNC Charlotte, North Carolina with a degree in painting and illustration.

Kris Lewis grew up in a family that gathered seven brothers and one sister, and, although his father provided the artistic genes, it was his mother who actually influenced his work as a painter. She taught him about the importance of working hard, as he watched her raise an entirely family, after his parents' separation.

She encouraged him to cherish her Latvian heritage and that is until today a major influence in his work. Her mother's struggle has had a great meaning for him, and is probably the reason why women are a constant theme in his paintings. Both strength and fragility of them inspire and influence him in his quest of being a better human being.

Jonathan Viner's "Harem" collection explores themes of intimacy and vulnerability, control and voyeurism with its captivating, realistic representations of sensual girls listening to headphones; which, reminding me of John Fowles' s novel The Collector, are altered from independent individuals to vivid artifacts.